Everyone knows the passive-aggressive green owl. The one that would haunt your notifications every time you got close to losing your language streak. Or the one that would show up in everyone’s comment sections, taunting users who weren’t diligent about their app usage/practice. Duolingo’s owl mascot quickly became their most identifiable trait among Gen Z. Labeled as a social media darling and a TikTok star, the owl became a consistent meme from 2017.
But flash forward to 2025, and instead of the owl taunting users, it’s the users taunting the owl. What once was seen as a beloved meme across the internet is now seen as one of Gen Z’s enemies.
What changed overnight? Did the owl fly too close to the sun?
duolingo’s rise to fame
If there is one thing to accredit the company for, it is their marketing. Ever since the era of Tumblr, Duolingo’s bright green owl has been their sole face of a brand. The mascot is the first face you see when you open the app, the face that cheers you on as you achieve accomplishments, but also the face that haunts you with notifications if you miss a lesson. The company purposefully chose personality traits and characteristics that quickly drew in younger generations while also adapting to modern trends. For example, the owl is often labelled as diligent and persistent, but never creepy. Annoying, but not aggravating. Passive-aggressive, but not inherently mean. Among younger generations, it exercised the perfect blend of encouragement and discipline. As a result, the O.G. meme was born.
From posting their own memes to having the mascot make TikToks online, the company was able to amass a TikTok following of over 17 Million. They were able to consistently ride the momentum by staying active with their followers and engaging with their audience, increasing their exposure. Until eventually, by the end of 2024, Duolingo had about 40.5 million users actively use their app.
However, if you look at their TikTok page now, the green owl has already lost 300,000 followers. With their declining count of 16.7 Million, what happened?
you can’t spell traitor without “AI”
On April 28, 2025, the CEO of Duolingo, Luis von Ahn, shared that the company would implement an “AI-first” strategy. Announcing the launch of 148 new language courses, the company shared that they would grow increasingly more dependent on Artificial Intelligence for tasks that used to be managed by contractors. By replacing contractors with AI, the app began facing significant amounts of criticism and backlash. To users of the app, it felt like a betrayal, prioritizing quantity over quality.
As news quickly flew across the internet, consumers expressed feelings of how depersonalizing it felt, especially considering how the company established themselves to be a “Human Driven Company”. The company grew to be personable with users and was dedicated to human-human interactions but was suddenly shifting towards the opposite. Simply put, it felt disingenuous and intensely money-oriented.
Ever since the internet has responded, users have noticed the decreased interactions Duolingo has had across social media platforms. The account is still posting videos and content, but with significantly less views and engagement. Additionally, the account halted commenting on their users posts. With movements growing such as “Duolingo Mass Unfollowing”, people are both curious and skeptical of what could be brewing in the marketing department. However, what does seem clear amidst all the chaos is that Gen Z isn’t forgiving the owl any time soon.
Damaged or deserted?
Now, the main question that remains is what does this mean for the platform?
Ever since the announcement, there has been widespread sentiment of not just disagreement over the decision but a commitment to desert the app all together. With comment sections filled with witty lines such as, “We used to joke about the Duolingo owl being evil…only for it to become true” and people sharing how they quit their streaks, we can expect there to be a notable decline in the amount of active users. However, this event also rises an important question to the surface.
What is AI’s place in the workplace? AI is supposed to help humanity, not replace humanity. And this is especially true when it comes to language. Language isn’t just a combination of sounds that mean something when it’s strung together properly. Language itself, is inherently humane. It has life, emotions, peculiarity that should be expressed and learned through humans. It is the way we communicate with each other and shouldn’t be computerized.
Although this controversial question came to light at the cost of a Gen Z social media darling, it is important for us to watch this owl’s journey as it may be an indicator of what is to come next.
Until next time Duolingo, fly high (RIP my streak).